Most searched

Born in Etterbeek on the 3rd of January, 1924, André Franquin starts
to draw as soon as he can hold a pencil. After years of boredom at
school in Saint-Gilles, he becomes an apprentice illustrator with the
short-lived CBA company in 1944. Among his colleagues are Eddy
Paape, a studio veteran, the young Morris and a little later, the novice
Peyo. Morris, who makes comic strips for MOUSTIQUE, is dragged
over to Editions Dupuis by his friend, where Jijé takes them under his
wing and introduces them to his pupil Will. All boarding with the Gillain
family in Waterloo, this cheerful group will become "the gang of four".

The father of Valhardi suggests picking up the character of
Spirou again, which he does by drawing "Le Tank", a complete story
published in the Almanach Spirou 1947 and then by continuing an
adventure he was already working on, "Les Maisons préfabriquées".
At the same time he realises numerous illustrations in the weekly
SPiROU and the scouting magazine PLEIN-JEU as well as comic
strips for LE MOUSTIQUE and covers for LES BONNES SOIRÉES.

From 1948 to 1949 he follows Jijé and Morris to the United
States and Mexico, but he becomes so homesick for Brussels and his
loved one that he returns home before his friends do.

The
next ten years will be mainly devoted to the "Spirou et Fantasio"
series and newspaper illustrations: complete special stories, covers,
various illustrations. Wonderful characters fill the world of this man:
the count of Champignac, the incredible Marsupilami (1952), the
journalist Seccotine, the fearful Zantafio and Zorglub, etc.

From time to time he works with others who help him out with a
story: scriptwriters Henri Gillain ("Il y a un sorcier à Champignac") and
Maurice Rosy ("Le Dictateur et le champignon"), Greg for the
"Zorglub", scene painter Will ("Les Pirates du silence"). But every
project is always dominated by the talent of the perfectionist genius.

A misunderstanding with the publishing company causes
him to launch the funny series "Modeste et Pompon" in TINTIN, in
1955. However, the situation is quickly resolved, and he allows others
to continue with these characters as of 1959.

The
enthusiasm with which everything that comes out of his pen and paint
brush is received forces this man who cannot say no to a frantic
production. In 1957 he flies a kite with an unemployed hero, the
immortal "Gaston" thought out with Yvan Delporte to liven up the
editorial pages: its success is so huge that the gaffer of the Editorial
office is quickly ordered to tackle the real comic strip and Franquin
has to make several plates a week. It would be unthinkable to reduce
the number of "Spirou". A French newspaper, LE PARISIEN LIBÉRÉ,
demands three adventures of this character for an exclusive
prepublication. A small Franquin studio is improvised to meet the
demand. While Jidéhem assists him on Gaston, Roba helps him out
with certain episodes for LE PARISIEN, Greg and Marcel Denis
contribute scripts and ideas.

Nevertheless, Franquin is
forced to drop one of his most recent creations, "Le Petit Noël", and
has to struggle to stay healthy, his body weakened by fatigue. A
depression forces him to interrupt one of his most remarkable stories,
"QRN sur Btrezelburg", but he makes it a point of honour to continue
"Gaston Lagaffe" in spite of everything.

Spirou becoming
too much for him, he passes him on to Fournier in 1968 after one last
feat of parody, "Panade à Champignac" in which he strives to free
himself from the constraints of traditional heroes and classical tales.

He devotes himself entirely to the single-plate gag
with Gaston, and creates his first (lovable) monsters for the SPIROU
covers in 1972. Several of his surprising creatures will be used for the
book "Cauchemarrant" (Éditions Bédérama, 1979) and will also be
used for postcards at Éditions Dalix.

He creates his first
"Idées noires" in LE TROMBONE ILLUSTRÉ, the short-lived cartoon
supplement by Yvan Delpore in 1977 in SPIROU, and will work them
out further in the monthly FLUIDE GLACIAL.

As he ages,
his production becomes more limited, and "Gaston" will never live his
thousandth gag, much to the disappointment of his millions of
admirers.

In 1987, Marsu-Productions launches the
Marsupilami in great adventures of its own, leaving the graphic
realisation to Batem, initially under the supervision of Franquin. The
script is written by Greg, followed by Yann, Fauche and Adam.

Two years later, Franquin draws in a style totally free of the
heavy restrictions of the comic strip a mass of small characters called
"Tifous" which will be used for an animation series by ODEC/Kid
Cartoons studios with scripts by Delporte, Xavier Fauche and Jean
Léturgie.

Franquin departs from us on January 5th, 1997,
shortly before the chronological updated edition of "Gaston Lagaffe" in
17 volumes appears at Éditions Dupuis. Two more volumes
composed by Marsu-Productions with drawings forgotten or rejected
by the author are published.

Franquin also teamed up with
Delporte to edit several fantastic episodes of the series "Isabelle",
illustrated by Will, and "Les Démêlés d" Arnest Ringard et la taupe
Augraphie", with images by Frédéric Janin.

Hergé
considered himself a very poor cartoonist in comparison with this
great artist who has left his mark on the SPIROU paper and what is
generally known as the Marcinelle School. His expressive style,
becoming more dynamic as he matured, has enriched the world of
comic strips with life, humour and energy.